A gas compression system in which heat rejected from the prime mover and the compressor is transferred to the gas driven output load.
In the prior art gas for transmission over a pipeline rises in temperature during compression and is then delivered. Substantial amounts of heat are rejected to the ambient from a heat engine driving the compressor, and are largely wasted. In the prior art gas for the operation of tools or other loads is compressed and stored, the heat energy due to the compression is rejected to the ambient, and the compressed gas is expanded in the tools or other loads, where the gas is reduced in temperature by expansion and discharged. When the gas compressor is driven by a heat engine, substantially all the heat rejected by the heat engine is wasted.
In this invention the heat rejected by the heat engine, when used is transferred to the point of expansion of the gas at the tools or other loads driven by the compressed gas, so that substantially no heat from the heat engine or the compressor is wasted. A heat pipe may be used for efficient transmission of heat.